He seemed to be looking for something. And he was carrying a crowbar... it just didn't make sense.
I entered the cave, ducking to fit under the low ceiling. The ground tilted away from me. If I had dropped the bracelet here, it might have slipped deeper into the tunnel. It was worth checking out while I was here. I may not get another chance.
That's probably how Daddy justified going near that machine, a voice inside my head muttered.
And how Ben decided to climb the ravine without the right equipment.
My stomach twisted at the thought, but I couldn't bear the thought of being without that bracelet. I just had to be careful. I moved forward, carefully testing where I placed my boots, using the wall to support my weight. One wrong move here, and I would be in serious trouble.
You shouldn't be here, I scolded myself. This is so dangerous. If you slipped and hit your head, they wouldn't know where to find you. Like father, like daughter…
My light caught something shiny on the wall. What was it? I raised the flashlight to eye level and nearly dropped it in surprise.
I was looking at a cave painting. And not just any cave painting, one of the most elaborate examples I've ever seen. The wall had been smoothed out—you could see the tool marks around the edges—and the surface cleaned and painted a gray tone to serve as a backdrop for the work.
And what a job it was! I moved my flashlight along the wall and ceiling, taking in every detail. In the upper corner, a family of wolves hunted in the forest. Tall trees towered around them. They were rounding up a hare. A larger wolf was advancing on her while three smaller wolves—the cubs? — guarded the rear, preventing escape.
Another scene showed the wolves sitting or lying on some rocks. In the middle of the rocks was a black circle. The cave entrance? Did early cave dwellers observe wolves in the forest?
The next scene was the strangest of all. They looked like wolves standing on two paws, and one of them was no longer a wolf but a man, with shaggy hair and human eyes. He wore dark shoes and walked like a man, but he still had a tail, paws, claws, and muzzle like a wolf.
In the next scene, humanoid figures hunted the wolves, holding burning sticks. The wolves rushed forward, into the dark tunnel. In the corner was a woman with long, unruly hair. She was crying, her tears forming a river that cascaded into the distance. I held my flashlight and pointed it down. I could see the gleam of more paintings further down the tunnel. The place was absolutely covered in ancient art.
My mind spun. This is incredible. I was among some of the most elaborate, ancient and well-preserved cave paintings in the world. This could be the most important Neolithic discovery ever made in England. And I had found out. Me, Allora SanDiir, nerdy archeology student and sci-fi fan.
Or is it? My mind raced back. Why was Josh back here the other night? Was this what he was looking for?
The thought unnerved me. It was quite a coincidence that Josh was looking into this tunnel the day before I discovered these paintings. But that only presented me with more questions. How did Josh know the paintings were here? These tunnels were unexplored. There was no way these elaborate paintings could have been discovered and documented without being known to Frances. What if Josh somehow suspected the paintings were there? Why was he carrying that crowbar? Was he planning to destroy them?
Two things were certain: I had just made a brilliant archaeological discovery, the kind of discovery that could define my entire career. And there was definitely something our new ranger wasn't telling me.
josh
I gritted my teeth against Ruth's onslaught of small talk and kept my eyes on the trailer door. After a few moments, Frances came in and kicked off her muddy boots. But Allora didn't follow her.
"Where's Allora?" I demanded. Ruth shot me a disapproving look from behind the pile of vegetables she was chopping.
Frances stammered a reply.
“She… just came back… to pick up a putty knife.
"Back to the toolbox?" Or to the caves?
Frances shifted her weight from foot to foot.
“To the cave. But she's perfectly safe...
“You must not allow anyone to stay in these caves alone, even for a moment,” I scolded as I pushed my chair back. My chest tightened. Anything could have happened to Allora. - This is ridiculous. I already warned you about this. I could close the site for that.
“She was coming back for a spatula,” Max said, grabbing a beer from the fridge. “What's the big deal?
“She's very forgetful and clumsy,” Ruth said, leaving Frances to prepare dinner with a look of resigned disgust.
“I don't care if she's fucking Saddam Hussein. I grabbed a flashlight from the shelf beside the caravan door and shoved my feet into my boots. “I'm not going to let her bleed to death after falling into an abyss while you're all sitting here trash-talking her. I shone the flashlight on Frances's chest. “When I get back, let's talk a little.
She opened her mouth to protest, but closed it quickly when I fixed her with a glare.
"I'll go with you," she said in a low voice, handing the knife back to Ruth.
“Fine,” I returned, moving hastily toward the cave, my heart pounding against my chest. The thought of Allora down there alone filled me with dread. I shouldn't have tried to distance myself from her today. I just wanted to give her room to think, even though being away from her made my whole body ache with need, and my ears felt too close to Ruth's incessant chatter. I never should have let her out of sight for a moment.
What if she's hurt? What if she disappeared? What if another wolf shows up? The pain of losing my father was still raw under my skin. I couldn't bear to lose my mate too.
What if she discovered the paintings? At that point, I wasn't even sure I cared anymore. I just wanted to make sure she was okay. Visions of his body bent and broken against the rocks surged against my eyes. I ran faster.
Footsteps crunched through the leaves behind me.
“Josh, wait. Frances ran beside me. I growled at her but didn't slow down. At least with Frances here, with me, Ruth would be inside preparing a dinner that might at least be somehow edible.
"There she is!" Frances pointed out, her pinched features softening.
And sure enough, there was Allora, running through the woods towards us, her red ponytail swinging behind her and her shapely thighs rippling even under her layers of thermal gear. Relief washed over me. My arms ached to crush her against my body, hug her tight and never let go.
Allora stopped running when she saw us and waved frantically to follow her back to the cave.
"You won't believe this!" she screamed. “It's amazing.
Shit.
Allora was an archaeologist. The only times archaeologists got this excited was a) when the local pub had an Indiana Jones-themed quiz night and b) when they uncovered some amazing remnant of a lost civilization. Reminiscent of a cave full of intricate paintings.
Before I could stop her, Frances was running toward Allora, her skinny arms swinging like chicken legs, her archaeological discovery radar going off.
- What is it?
“It's in the caves. Quick, you have to see. You won't believe it!
Frances reached Allora and squeezed into the small mouth of the cave. Allora started to follow, but I grabbed her, pulling her close to me. Her eyes were wild, dazed by what she'd seen.
"What were you doing going into the caves alone?" I demanded.
- Oh I do not know. The same thing you were doing,” she returned.
Good. I deserved it.
— So you found it? I covered my concern for her with a sneer.
"Did I find the mysterious cave paintings you've known about all along?" Of course. What I want to know is, how did you know they were there?
"I meant your spatula." That's why you went back to the cave, according to Frances. I looked at her hand. “You're not with her.
- No. I dropped it in the cave. I was quite surprised, you know?
“I believe you. Except I saw it on the back of Frances's toolbox. Your spatula has a red handle, doesn't it?
“That's my reservation,” Allora said, her eyes darting nervously.
"You didn't drop the spatula." Tu was looking for your bracelet.
"What if you were?" It was your fault that I lost her.
— How do you think that? If you're going to blame anyone, I'd point the finger at Ozzy Osbourne's friend who got tangled in his hair.
“If you weren't snooping where you shouldn't have been, I wouldn't have followed you and none of this would have happened. Go on, Josh, tell me: why were you looking for the paintings with a crowbar in your hand?
“You seemed so shy yesterday. I smiled, trying to distract her. This wasn't the time to tell her about my family's secrets. "Where did this lioness come from?"
“She was provoked. Allora growled, but the corners of her mouth turned up in a slight smile.
"Come on, Allora!" Frances called from the cave entrance. "You have to show me what you found!"
“I have to go,” she said.
"Are you going to ask Frances to help you find the missing spatula?"
- Exactly.
“You're a really horrible liar. I sighed, releasing her.
“It takes one to recognize the other. I ask again, how did you know those paintings were there? she demanded. “That section of the cave was completely unexplored.
“I know they were there because I'm a descendant of the person who drew them.
Her eyes stared at me.
“But that doesn't make sense. These drawings are tens of thousands of years old. How can you…
"Are you sure about this?"
“I'm the archaeologist here. Of course I'm sure. ’ But she frowned slightly. “You're not making sense, Josh.
She rubbed her forearms. She was still wearing the clothes she wore on the dig. A flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Now that the sun had gone down, the frigid air made the hairs on his arms stand up.
— You are cold. I took off my jacket and draped it around his shoulders. "We're going back to camp with you."
- No way. I have to show Professor Doyle these paintings and you have to tell me what's going on.
I opened my mouth, the words on the tip of my tongue. Looking into those eyes, which yesterday had been so reserved but now glowed with life and challenge, and feeling the strong drum of our connection pulsing through my veins, I hoped I was making the right decision in trusting her.
— Allora! Frances called from the cave. Allora looked at me pointedly.
"Later," I whispered. - Tonight. Meet me at that rotten oak stump where the road meets the hiking trail. I have something to show you.
She nodded and turned, sliding into the cave and disappearing into the darkness. I followed her, my stomach twisting. What the fuck would I do now?
**
allora
I shifted from foot to foot, my teeth chattering through my thick jacket. Where was Josh? Why did he want me to meet him here, half a kilometer from camp?
It had been a hectic night, and my body ached with exhaustion. I took Frances to show her the paintings and, predictably, she was impressed.
"This discovery will make my name!" she screamed, hugging me so tight she cut off the circulation in my arms. She insisted on taking Ruth and Max back to the site with the camera, tripod and spotlight to take some preliminary pictures, while I spent an hour on the satellite phone with Professor Carter, the head of department at the University of Loamshire, describing the discovery for a press release to come out the next day.
"You'll need to send some pictures," he said, his voice tight with emotion. — Very sharp and with the highest possible resolution. They will be on the website tomorrow.
"Professor Doyle is taking some now," I replied. "They'll be in your inbox soon." I smothered a yawn as I stuffed a granola bar into my mouth. Frances was too busy on the farm to bother cooking dinner, which was a small blessing at least.
After the phone call, I had to go back to the cave, where I spent a few more hours helping Max reposition the lights to get the best shots possible. Finally, Frances gave up at 11:00 pm, giving me enough time to eat another granola bar, brush my teeth, and change into clean, dry clothes to go find Josh.
And now here I was, my bones aching from the cold, my mind reeling with fantastical theories, and he wasn't even here.
Disappointment gnawed at me. Here I was getting my hopes up on this guy, thinking he understood what I was going through, but he was just messing with me. He was probably watching me from his tent, laughing at how pathetic I was. My cheeks burned. Screw it. I went to bed.
Footsteps crunched through the woods behind me. A few moments later, Josh emerged from the trees, hands shoved in his jacket pockets, breath coming out in hot steam. In the moonlight, he looked even more attractive. The dark night seemed to highlight his strong features and wild eyes.
"Well," I said, struggling to speak through my chattering teeth. “I'm here, freezing my boobs. What's your explanation?
“You're going to die here,” he said, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to his chest. Instantly, his body heat radiated through my jacket. I wanted to tell him to let go, but I was so cold and he smelled so, so good.
“You were the smart person who chose this location. The faster you talk, the sooner we can get back to your tent…” My face turned red as I realized what I'd said. “I mean, to our tents. Our tents.
Josh chuckled, his husky voice reverberating through my entire body.
Fuck, he was cute when he laughed.
- Excellent. I'll cut to the chase. These paintings are not Neolithic.
"How do you know that?"
“Because my grandmother painted them.
- What? “That didn't make sense. "But how did she get it?" This cave was not discovered until five years ago.
- Wrong. It was inhabited by my family for at least two centuries before that. ’ Josh’s green eyes met mine. “Allora, I'm going to tell you something so profoundly unbelievable, you'll think I'm crazy. But I assure you I am not. And I need you to wait for me to finish explaining and I promise to show you all the proof you need. Okay?
"Can't we do this in camp where it's hot?" I balled my hands into fists and pulled them into the sleeves. But it wasn't good. My fingers were rapidly losing all their sensation.
"I can't risk anyone else overhearing." And you can't tell others what I say either. He took my hands and placed them between his. The heat was so intense that my fingertips tingled. — Do you promise?
"Promise what?"
"Not to say a word of this to anyone?"
- Yes yes. “My face was numb. - Just tell me.
Josh took a deep breath.
“I am a werewolf.
I snorted. He can't be serious! I pulled my hands away, tucking my fingers back into my sleeves.
"You brought me here, in the middle of sub-zero temperatures, to make up a stupid campfire horror story?"
“It's not a story. I'm a werewolf. Josh backed up against the rotten oak. - Look.